Tinaindenver

We are looking for a guided bike tour inEurope for this fall. I have done Amersterdam to Bruges and the Loire Valley and have recently been to Provence and Puglia, so those are out. I would appreciate any suggestions and also recommendations of tour operators.

Thanks

sarge56

My sister and her DH did one in Spain last year. Let me ask her for the info and I'll get back to you. (They also did a bike/boat tour with my other sister and her DH this past summer through Germany, I believe. If you're interested in that, I'll get that info, too.) (They both live in Colorado, also, so bike all the time.)

I also saw one that starts in the mountains of Italy and travels mostly downhill into the Lakes area. (That's the one I would pick. hahah All downhill!)

You might also do a search here on Fodors of "bike"+"Europe".

dreamon

Try this website for ideas.

http://www.europebicycletouring.com/

dreamon

And this one.

http://travellingtwo.com/

bilboburgler

I think it depends a bit on the type of biking you do and how much you want to pay. I've seen happy people on Italian Mountain tops on Carbon Fibre who paid $6000 for the week. It made me weak at the knees. I'm also not so sure what the guides do, though I did once bump into a bunch of 70+ Germans in Italy who has an Ambulance following them

My best experience was with HeadWater. www.headwater.com/ who do self guided. I also use www.mybikeguide.co.uk.

Vttraveler

We know many people who have done bike tours with Vermont Bicycle Tours and have been very happy with them. I see you have a Croatia tag, and this company offers one there
http://www.vbt.com/

amyb

I did a VBT tour of Tuscany in 2005 that I was very pleased with. I would happily ride with them again as it was a fantastic experience and I was very well taken care of. I have a trip report here if you click on my name. VBT offers trips all over Europe and some in Asia and down under. I think their prices are more reasonable than other companies (like Ciclismo Classico) and INCLUDE airfare, which other companies do not.

FrenchMystiqueTours

If you weren't aware there are many bike tour companies operating in France and here is a list of weblinks for some of the more well known ones I've heard of. Some of them do guided tours and some do self-guided tours but you'll have to look through the links and determine which one suits your needs.

http://www.detours-in-france.com/

http://www.backroads.com/biking-trips

http://www.nicholexpeditions.com/france.htm

http://outfittertours.com/

http://www.diversedirections.net/

randonneetours.com/bydestination/france.htm

http://www.walkingfrance.com/selfguided.html

http://www.discoverfrance.com/

http://tinyurl.com/6hmv9mr

http://www.frenchcyclingholidays.com/

http://cyclomundo.com/

http://www.beauxvoyages.com/Self-Gui...rs-France.html

menachem

travelingtwo are an excellent resource!

sarge56

Tina, here is the info from my sister. They loved both of these:
"vbt.com We did the Bike and Barge--Heart of Europe that went Metz to Koblenz, and last year, we did the Under the Andalusian Sky in southern Spain. (Vermont Bike Tours)"

Good luck!

HappyTrvlr

Backroads is an excellent bike/hike choice as well.

FrenchMystiqueTours

A great general resource website about cycling in France is www.freewheelingfrance.com.

Tinaindenver

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't think we are ready for a self-guided trip, but VBT sounded nice. Backroads too, but so $$$.

bilboburgler

Tina

"I don't think we are ready for a self-guided trip"

Well being in a tour normally means you have a leader or a following van.

Selfguided means that you get the same map the leader has and the van has to be called out to sort things out though I guess they would expect you to sort out a puncture (though punctures are less common with the new types of inner tube and the bikes they use tend to be new each year).

Then your own tour means you need to work out the map and there is no van.

Having seen the price of VBT I would struggle to imagine having that amount of money to throw away. Have a look at Headwater they speak a form of English.

The critical issue for me is not is the route on back roads (nearly all are or on bike paths) but the changes in altitude. If you want hilly book hilly.

flygirl

I have been on two Backroads hiking trips (2011 and 2012) and am considering a third one this spring. Fantastic. Can't say enough good things about them. I have no doubt their biking trips are just as well planned with beautiful views and great guides. They do a great job on hotels and restaurants - very centrally located and comfortable. They schlep all your stuff for you. All you do is show up and hike (or bike).

Tinaindenver

Has anyone used ExperiencePlus? They have an itinerary in the Dordogne tha sounds good, but I haven't heard much about the company.

bilboburgler

I don't know them but for 6 nights (i think) $3395

Headwater have a self guide in the same area for 8 nights for £1219

Now i guess the exchange rate is 1.65 say so the Headwater would cost $2011

do I think having a leader would cost $1384???? or ....

kacollier

http://www.biketour-reviews.com/

This site is great in giving you a comparison of bike companies, their destinations, general age group, size and price. My husband and I have done a number of trips using Backroads, VBT, and Great Explorations (out of Canada). Each company has a different style but we enjoyed them all. Our last trip with Backroads was the Slavic countries (and it was well done with some challenging riding) Our VBT trip was Morocco--more people and fast pace for the day with little downtime; Great Explorations was Turkey -- beautiful and laid-back guide/owner. Most of the companies do offer optional rides for the better riders and shorter rides with shuttle for the recreational rider. If you haven't been to Croatia, that might be a great option. Also, Backroads purchased Bike Riders (great company that we did France with) and they also offer Dordogne touring. As the previous rider mentioned, Backroads does a great job with hotel, food, support, etc. although they can be a bit pricey. From what I know of Experience Plus, they tend to attract a little older age group.

AlessandraZoe

TinainDenver:
Not long ago, I wrote an evaluation/comparison for the Travel Tips Forum from our personal experiences. It was entitled:

<b>Why Do A Cycling Tour?: A review of various tour companies and general tips</b>
Link: http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...neral-tips.cfm

JanisJ had said it would have been more useful had it been posted here, and I guess she was right!

Why don't you scan through the report and then ask questions as needed?
In general, this is where we went and with whom...

<b>with Backroads...</b>
Loire, Brittany/Normandy, Provence, San Juan Islands, Glacier National Park, Western Ireland, South Ireland, Czech Repuglic/Austria, Turkey, Puglia, New Zealand

<b>with VBT...</b>
Tuscany by the Sea, Andalusia/Spain

<b>with Bike Vermont (now known as "Discovery Bike Tours")</b>
Ireland, Scotland

<b>with Europeds (the old company, not the present one)</b>
Dordogne

<b>with DuVine</b>
Burgundy

dmelo1

Two summers ago i took a sailing/biking tour in Croatia with
http://www.islandhopping.com/bike-to...egro-2011.html

It was one of the best trips that i've ever taken.